Frances Stevenson manuscript diary

Among the British delegation attending the Paris Peace Conference was Frances Stevenson, the personal secretary of David Lloyd George PM. Born in 1888, she became Lloyd George's secretary in 1913. Stevenson had access to much of the political action which occurred in Paris and her diaries provide a unique perspective on the creation of the Treaty of Versailles.In this diary entry, from 28th June 1919, Stevenson records visiting Versailles to witness the signing of the peace treaty. Despite the importance of the occasion, she recorded that it had been poorly managed and that the Press intrusion affected the solemnity. She acknowledged that a couple of reporters were necessary for ‘preserving a record' but did not agree that the hall should be half-filled by representatives of the Press.